Classic Kdrama 101: “Protect The Boss”

If you enjoyed watching Ji Sung in the revenge melodrama "Secrets," then you may want to check out his earlier and much lighter kdrama "Protect The Boss." In this romantic comedy he also plays a spoiled headstrong chaebol but one with a much less traumatic love history and a kinder father.

"Protect The Boss" is also a good place to catch Choi Kang Hee, the actress who recently starred as a secret agent in the comedy "Level 7 Civil Servant." In the comedy she plays his down-to-earth, not-afraid-to-start-a-fight secretary and the woman who helps her boss grow up a little.

The best part about "Protect The Boss" may be the bromance between Ji Sung's character Cha Ji Heon and his cousin Cha Mu Won.

JYJ's Kim Jaejoong plays Cha Mu Won. Despite Cha's kind and sensitive nature, he is always spoiling for a fight with his cousin. The two have been best friends and rivals since birth so there's a lot of physical fighting that often seems affectionate. And their occasional affection for each other is always tinged with jealousy. They might even be better friends if their parents were not always plotting against each other.

The cousins are rivals for control of the company they both work in but they are also both rivals in love. They both fell for spoiled rich girl Seo Na Yoon and they both break up with her. Wang Ji Hye, who now plays the despicable but redeemed other woman in the series "The Suspicious Housekeeper," plays Seo Na Yoon. The actress is good at playing characters that are many-sided.

Eventually both cousins fall for Choi Kang Hee's feisty character Noh Eun Sol.

Whether they both truly love her or it's just a continuation of their lifelong rivalry is up for debate. Besides the usual poor-girl-snags-rich-guy Cinderella story, there's also the sub plot in which Noh Eun Sol helps Cha Ji Heon overcome his disabling phobias and claim his true place in the world.

At first Noh Eun Sol thinks that Cha Mu Won's refined good looks and gentle manners make him her ideal type but she soon succumbs to his cousin's charm.

Ji Sung is downright goofy in this role compared to his merciless avenger in "Secrets" but it is endearing to see the passion with which he throws himself into this silly character. It might not strike you as real acting if you had not seen him act the heavy in "Secrets."

Have you seen this series? What did you think of it? Did you prefer Ji Sung in "Secrets" or "Protect The Boss."